The
Jeep Wagoneer was an early
sport utility vehicleA sport utility vehicle is a generic marketing term for a vehicle similar to a station wagon, but built on a light-truck chassis. It is usually equipped with four-wheel drive for on- or off-road ability, and with some pretension or ability to be used as an off-road vehicle. Not all four-wheel...
(SUV) and the first luxury 4x4, produced under varying marques from 1963 to 1991. It was noteworthy for being in production for more than 28 years with only minor mechanical changes. This amounted to the longest continuous automotive production run, on the same platform, in US automotive history, excepting the
Dodge Ram VanThe Dodge B-Series was a full-size van marketed under the Dodge brand by the Chrysler Corporation and later DaimlerChrysler...
, in production for 32 years between 1971 and 2003, and the
Ford C-SeriesThe Ford C-Series was a medium-duty cab over truck built by the Ford Motor Company between 1957 and 1990. While advertisers boasted of its versatility, it was used primarily for local delivery, and fire apparatus...
truck, which had a 33-year run from 1957 to 1990.
The Jeep Wagoneer "created a whole new category of so-called sports-utility vehicles" and its "massive estate car design was the most car-like 4x4" that "defined the boxy, macho shape" copied by others. An
overhead camOverhead cam valvetrain configurations place the engine camshaft within the cylinder heads, above the combustion chambers, and drive the valves or lifters in a more direct manner compared to overhead valves and pushrods...
engineThe internal combustion engine is an engine in which the combustion of a fuel occurs with an oxidizer in a combustion chamber. In an internal combustion engine, the expansion of the high-temperature and high -pressure gases produced by combustion apply direct force to some component of the engine...
, along with independent front suspension (both later discontinued), supplemented with features unheard of in any other
4WDFour-wheel drive, 4WD, or 4×4 is a four-wheeled vehicle with a drivetrain that allows all four wheels to receive torque from the engine simultaneously...
vehicle (including power steering and automatic transmission), made it revolutionary at the time. A solid front axle was available as well. Compared with offerings from International Harvester and Land Rover — which were producing utilitarian work-oriented vehicles that were quite spartan and truck-like on the inside — the Wagoneer was the first true luxury 4x4. The Wagoneer is based on the
Jeep SJJeep's SJ platform was part of the "FSJ" or full-size Jeep lineup. According to the , an "FSJ" is any vehicle produced in North America, carrying the "Jeep" nameplate, with 2 or 4 doors, in rear or four wheel drive, whose wheelbase does not exceed , nor is less than , and whose tread width is no...
platform and debuted seven years (24 years in the United States) before
Land RoverLand Rover is a British car manufacturer with its headquarters in Gaydon, Warwickshire, United Kingdom which specialises in four-wheel-drive vehicles. It is owned by the Indian company Tata Motors, forming part of their Jaguar Land Rover group...
's
Range RoverThe Range Rover is a large luxury four-wheel drive sport utility vehicle produced by British car maker Land Rover. The model, launched in 1970, is now in its third generation...
. It was also one of the last few vehicles sold in the United States (and the final SUV) whose engine still used a
carburetorA carburetor , carburettor, or carburetter is a device that blends air and fuel for an internal combustion engine. It is sometimes shortened to carb in North America and the United Kingdom....
for fuel delivery, well after most other vehicles had switched to
fuel injectionFuel injection is a system for admitting fuel into an internal combustion engine. It has become the primary fuel delivery system used in automotive petrol engines, having almost completely replaced carburetors in the late 1980s....
. Only
Isuzu, is a Japanese car, commercial vehicle and heavy truck manufacturing company, headquartered in Tokyo. In 2005, Isuzu became the world's largest manufacturer of medium to heavy duty trucks. It has assembly and manufacturing plants in the Japanese city of Fujisawa, as well as in the prefectures...
with its base-model pickup truck would hold out longer, selling its last carbureted vehicle in 1993.
Its successor is the
Jeep Grand CherokeeThe Jeep Grand Cherokee is a Mid-size SUV produced by the Jeep division of Chrysler. While some other SUVs were manufactured with body on frame construction, the Jeep Grand Cherokee has always used a unibody chassis.- Development :...
.
The Willys and Kaiser years
Conceived in the early 1960s while
Willys-Overland MotorsWillys was the brand name used by Willys-Overland Motors, an American automobile company best known for its design and production of military Jeeps and civilian versions during the 20th century.-Early History:In 1908, John Willys bought the Overland Automotive Division of Standard Wheel Company...
was owned by
Kaiser Jeep CorporationKaiser Jeep was the result of the merger between the Kaiser-Frazer Corporation, an independent automaker based in Willow Run, Michigan, and the Toledo, Ohio-based Willys-Overland Company....
, the Wagoneer (marketed as a
station wagonA station wagon is a body style variant of a sedan/saloon with its roof extended rearward over a shared passenger/cargo volume with access at the back via a third or fifth door , instead of a trunk lid...
, the term "SUV" was not used until many years later) replaced the original Willys Jeep Station Wagon, which dated to 1946. With competition from the "Big Three" advancing on Jeep's four-wheel-drive market, Willys management decided that a new and more advanced vehicle was needed.
The new 1963 Wagoneer, like its long-lived predecessor (which would, in fact, be sold alongside its replacement in the U.S. until 1965), was designed by industrial designer
Brooks StevensClifford Brooks Stevens was an American industrial designer of home furnishings, appliances, automobiles and motorcycles — as well as a graphic designer and stylist....
. Willys' engineering staff, under the direction of A.C. Sampietro, handled the technical development. The cost of development was around
US$The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
20 million.
The original Wagoneer was a full-size, body-on-frame vehicle which shared its architecture with the
Jeep GladiatorThe Jeep Gladiator is a full-size pickup truck based on the large SJ platform that was built under varying marques from 1962 to 1988. The Jeep pickup design was noteworthy for being in production for more than 26 years with only minor mechanical changes...
pickup truckA pickup truck is a light motor vehicle with an open-top rear cargo area .-Definition:...
. It was originally available in two and four-door body styles, with the two-door also available as a
panel truckA panel truck is a windowless cargo van built on a truck chassis.Similar in function to its smaller cousin, the sedan delivery; which is a station wagon with no backseat, and no side windows aft of the front doors...
with windowless sides behind the doors and double "barn doors" in the rear instead of the usual tailgate and roll-down rear window.
Early Wagoneers were powered by Willys' new "Tornado" SOHC 230 CID six-cylinder engine, which had debuted in 1962 as an option for Jeep's older-style station wagons. The engine developed 140 hp and was noted for being quite fuel-efficient for its day. However, the engine was not without its problems; cooling issues were fairly common. And, in higher-altitude locales, "pinging" was a problem, leading the company to introduce a lower-compression version of the Tornado that developed 133 hp for 1964.
1963-1964
In early 1963, Willys Motors changed its name to
Kaiser Jeep CorporationKaiser Jeep was the result of the merger between the Kaiser-Frazer Corporation, an independent automaker based in Willow Run, Michigan, and the Toledo, Ohio-based Willys-Overland Company....
. This was to associate Jeep in the public consciousness with Kaiser's family of companies, said company president Steven Girard. Seat belts were optional.
There were few other changes for 1964, except for the option of factory-installed
air conditioningAn air conditioner is a home appliance, system, or mechanism designed to dehumidify and extract heat from an area. The cooling is done using a simple refrigeration cycle...
.
1965-1966
Late-year 1965 Wagoneers and
GladiatorThe Jeep Gladiator is a full-size pickup truck based on the large SJ platform that was built under varying marques from 1962 to 1988. The Jeep pickup design was noteworthy for being in production for more than 26 years with only minor mechanical changes...
pickup trucks were available with the 250 hp 327 CID
AMC V8 engineAmerican Motors Corporation produced a series of widely-used V8 engines from the mid-1950s before being absorbed into Chrysler in 1987. Chrysler kept the AMC V8 in production until 1991 for the Jeep Grand Wagoneer....
, which proved to be a popular option.
Additionally, the Tornado engine was replaced by American Motors' 232 CID OHV
inline sixThe straight-six engine or inline-six engine is a six-cylinder internal combustion engine with all six cylinders mounted in a straight line along the crankcase...
. According to the automotive press this engine was smooth, powerful, reliable and easily maintained.
The 1966 model year also saw the introduction of the more luxurious Super Wagoneer, initially with a higher-performance 270 hp version of the AMC V8, fitted with a four-barrel carburetor. With comfort and convenience features not found on other vehicles of its type at the time - e.g. push-button radio, seven-position tilt steering wheel, ceiling courtesy lights, air conditioning, power tailgate, power brakes, power steering, and console-shifted TH400
automatic transmissionAn automatic transmission is one type of motor vehicle transmission that can automatically change gear ratios as the vehicle moves, freeing the driver from having to shift gears manually...
– the Super Wagoneer is now widely regarded as the precursor of today's luxury SUVs. Production of the Super Wagoneer ended in 1969. Brakes were 11" drums.
1967-1971
Two-wheel drive models, which the four-wheel-drives had outsold from the beginning, were discontinued after the 1967 model year, and at the end of 1968 the slow-selling two-door versions were also discontinued.
For 1968 through 1971 Wagoneers were powered by
BuickBuick is a premium brand of General Motors . Buick models are sold in the United States, Canada, Mexico, China, Taiwan, and Israel, with China being its largest market. Buick holds the distinction as the oldest active American make...
’s 350 CID 230 hp Dauntless V8. The Buick made less horsepower than the previous AMC V8 (230 hp vs. 250), but more
torqueTorque, moment or moment of force , is the tendency of a force to rotate an object about an axis, fulcrum, or pivot. Just as a force is a push or a pull, a torque can be thought of as a twist....
at lower rpm (350 foot-pounds (474.5 N·m) at 2400 rpm vs. 340 ft·lbf (461 N·m) at 2600), and it had 5
main bearingIn a piston engine, the main bearings are the bearings on which the crankshaft rotates, usually plain or journal bearings.All engines have a minimum of two main bearings, one at each end of the crankshaft, and they may have as many as one more than the number of crank pins...
s instead of the AMC’s 4.
After the 1971 model year, Wagoneers were exclusively AMC powered.
The AMC years
In early 1970
American Motors Corporation (AMC)American Motors Corporation was an American automobile company formed by the 1954 merger of Nash-Kelvinator Corporation and Hudson Motor Car Company. At the time, it was the largest corporate merger in U.S. history.George W...
acquired
Kaiser Jeep CorporationKaiser Jeep was the result of the merger between the Kaiser-Frazer Corporation, an independent automaker based in Willow Run, Michigan, and the Toledo, Ohio-based Willys-Overland Company....
and set about refining and upgrading the range. AMC also improved manufacturing efficiency and lowered costs by incorporating shared components such as engines. Reducing
noise, vibration, and harshnessNoise, vibration, and harshness , also known as noise and vibration , is the study and modification of the noise and vibration characteristics of vehicles, particularly cars and trucks...
improved the Wagoneer driving experience.
The 1971 model year included a special "X-coded" model finished in Golden Lime with unique wood-grain side panels, numerous convenience features and power assists, that was priced $1,000 more than the deluxe "Custom" model.
After 1971, the outsourced Buick 350 was replaced by the 360 CID
AMC V8American Motors Corporation produced a series of widely-used V8 engines from the mid-1950s before being absorbed into Chrysler in 1987. Chrysler kept the AMC V8 in production until 1991 for the Jeep Grand Wagoneer....
, and later the 401 CID was made available.
The innovative Quadra-Trac full-time four-wheel-drive system, which broadened the appeal of Jeep products to people who wanted four-wheel-drive traction without the inconvenience of a manual-shift
transfer caseA transfer case is a part of a four-wheel-drive system found in four-wheel-drive and all-wheel-drive vehicles. The transfer case is connected to the transmission and also to the front and rear axles by means of drive shafts...
and manual
locking hubsLocking hubs, also known as free wheeling hubs are an accessory fitted to many four-wheel drive vehicles, allowing the front wheels to be manually disconnected from the front half shafts....
, was introduced in 1973.
In 1974 AMC resurrected the two-door Wagoneer as the
CherokeeThe SJ series Jeep Cherokee was a full-size SUV produced from 1974 through 1983 by the Jeep division of the American Motors Corporation...
. This replaced the
Jeepster CommandoThe Jeepster Commando was first produced by Kaiser Motors in 1966 to compete with the Toyota Land Cruiser and Ford Bronco. Four different models were available: a pickup truck, convertible, roadster and wagon. The Kaiser line remained in production until about 1969, when American Motors...
, whose sales had not met expectations despite an extensive 1972 revamp. The Cherokee appealed to a younger market than the Wagoneer, which was regarded more as a family SUV.
There were few styling changes during this time. However after introducing the Cherokee, AMC began to move the Wagoneer upmarket that brought high demand from a new market segment. The Limited, more luxuriously equipped than the earlier Super Wagoneer, offered Quadra-Trac, power disk brakes, air conditioning, power-adjustable bucket seats, power door locks, power windows, tilt steering wheel, cruise control, leather upholstery, plush carpeting, AM/FM/CB radio, leather-wrapped steering wheel, roof rack, forged aluminum wheels, and “wood grain” trim on the body sides. The 2-barrel, 360 CID
AMC V8 engineAmerican Motors Corporation produced a series of widely-used V8 engines from the mid-1950s before being absorbed into Chrysler in 1987. Chrysler kept the AMC V8 in production until 1991 for the Jeep Grand Wagoneer....
was standard with a 4-barrel, 401 CID available at extra cost. Even though the US$10,500
suggested retail priceThe manufacturer's suggested retail price , list price or recommended retail price of a product is the price which the manufacturer recommends that the retailer sell the product. The intention was to help to standardise prices among locations...
was in luxury
CadillacCadillac is an American luxury vehicle marque owned by General Motors . Cadillac vehicles are sold in over 50 countries and territories, but mostly in North America. Cadillac is currently the second oldest American automobile manufacturer behind fellow GM marque Buick and is among the oldest...
territory, the Limited’s high-level specification attracted buyers and sales were strong with a total of 28,871 Wagoneers produced in 1978, and 27,437 in 1979.
With the V8s the primary choice among Wagoneer buyers, the 258 CID six-cylinder engine was dropped in the 1970s, only to return as an option when Jeep sales – particularly of the high-volume Cherokee – were hit by the 1979 fuel crisis. (The Wagoneer continued to sell relatively well after production dropped to 10,481 in 1980, but increased to 13,741 in 1981, 18,709 in 1982, and 18,478 in 1983.) When reintroduced, the engine came with
manual transmissionA manual transmission, also known as a manual gearbox or standard transmission is a type of transmission used in motor vehicle applications...
as standard equipment, but in 1983 automatic transmission with
“Selec-Trac”Jeep uses a variety of four-wheel drive and all-wheel drive systems on their various vehicles. These range from basic part-time systems that require the driver to move a control lever to send power to four wheels, to permanent four-wheel systems that monitor and sense traction needs at all four...
four-wheel drive became standard. With this combination the Wagoneer achieved
EPAThe U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is an agency of the federal government of the United States charged with protecting human health and the environment, by writing and enforcing regulations based on laws passed by Congress...
fuel-consumption estimates of 18 miles per US gallon city and 25 miles per US gallon highway – outstanding for a full-size SUV. This allowed the company to advertise good fuel mileage, although the more powerful 360 V8 remained popular with certain buyers despite its greater thirst for fuel.
In 1981, the Wagoneer line was expanded to three models. The Custom Wagoneer was the basic model, yet it included a 4-speed transmission, free-wheeling hubs, power steering and power front disc brakes, as well as passenger area carpeting. A new Brougham model added an upgraded interior trim that included woodgrain for the instrument cluster and horn cover, floor mats, power tailgate window, as well as the "Convenience" and "Light" Packages. The Brougham's exterior included a thin side body scuff moulding with a narrow woodgrain insert, roof rack, as well as bright door and quarter window frames, and a lower tailgate moulding. The Limited Wagoneer was the top-of-the line with standard Quadra-Trac, automatic transmission, air conditioning, tinted glass, power windows and door locks, cruise control, AM/FM stereo radio, extra quiet insulation, power six-way driver and passenger bucket seats with center armrest, upgraded door panels, leather-wrapped steering wheel, extra thick carpeting, and retractable cargo cover.
The basic "Custom" model was eliminated for 1983, and a new Select-Trac system became standard equipment. A dash-mounted control allowed the driver to change between two or four wheel drive. The switch activated a vacuum-activated spline clutch that was built into the front axle assembly.
The 1984 saw consolidation with the end of the Brougham model, while the Limited became the Grand Wagoneer. Thus, starting in 1984, only one fully equipped version was available, and this would remain until the end of the Grand Wagoneer production under Chrysler. Production reached 20,019 in 1984 with just one version available.
An improved handling package was introduced in 1985 that incorporated a revised front sway bar, gas filled shock absorbers, and lower friction rear springs. A total of 17,814 Grand Wagoneers were built for 1985.
Starting in the 1986 model year, the Grand Wagoneer received a new four part front grille and a stand-up hood ornament. An updated audio system became a standard feature and a power sunroof installed by the now defunct American Sunroof Company, became a factory option. However, the most significant change was the installation of a fully revamped interior including a new dashpad, new instrumentation, new door panel design, a decorative tailgate "cap", shorter nap cut-pile carpeting, more modern headliner and visors, new leather seat cover designs and front seats that now featured adjustable headrests. Changes were made to the instrument panel that now featured square gauges, featured woodgrain overlays and contained an improved climate control system. A new two spoke steering wheel also included new stalks for the lights and wiper/washer controls on the column. The Select-Trac driveline gained a new Trac-Lok limited slip differential to send power to the wheel with the best traction. There were 17,254 Grand Wagoneers built in 1986.
The last model year developed under AMC, 1987, was also the 25th anniversary of the Wagoneer design. Standard equipment included the 360 CID V8 engine and self-sealing Michelin "Tru Seal" P235/75R 15 radial tires. The sound system included a new AM/FM electronically tuned stereo with Dolby cassette and four Jensen speakers. The exterior featured revised woodgrained sides in English Walnut with new nameplates and V8 badges. On the inside were new tan or cordovan trims that replaced the honey and garnet colors, while the interior assist pulls on the door panels were removed. A combined 14,265 units were built by AMC and Chrysler for 1987.
XJ Wagoneer/Cherokee and the final years under AMC
The Wagoneer and Cherokee names were applied to the new, much-smaller and more fuel-efficient
unibodyMonocoque is a construction technique that supports structural load by using an object's external skin, as opposed to using an internal frame or truss that is then covered with a non-load-bearing skin or coachwork...
XJThe Jeep Cherokee is a unibody compact SUV. It shared the name of the original full-size SJ model, but without a body-on-frame chassis, it set the stage for the modern SUV. Its innovative appearance and sales popularity spawned important imitators as other automakers began to notice that this...
platform in 1984, but high demand prompted the company to keep the old SJ-body Wagoneer in production.
The full-sized Wagoneer Limited was renamed the Grand Wagoneer.
The XJ Wagoneer and Cherokee were basically identical, except that the Wagoneer had vertically stacked low and high beam headights with front turn signals moved behind the grille, and the woodgrain side panels of SJ tradition. In mid-1984, Jeep introduced a less expensive version of the Grand Wagoneer named the Wagoneer Custom without the simulated woodgrain exterior. Wheels were steel with hubcaps, and standard equipment was pared down. It had part-time four-wheel drive. Despite its lower price (US$15,995, about $3,000 less than the "Grand"), sales were poor.
The Grand Wagoneer remained "the gold standard of the SUV market" and it would continue in one version using the old SJ-body "for 1985 and beyond".
The Chrysler years
Chrysler Chrysler Group LLC is a multinational automaker headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan, USA. Chrysler was first organized as the Chrysler Corporation in 1925....
bought out
American MotorsAmerican Motors Corporation was an American automobile company formed by the 1954 merger of Nash-Kelvinator Corporation and Hudson Motor Car Company. At the time, it was the largest corporate merger in U.S. history.George W...
on March 2, 1987. Despite its advancing age the Grand Wagoneer remained popular. Chrysler largely left it untouched over its few years overseeing Grand Wagoneer production from the final setup under AMC's watch, and even continued to build the Grand Wagoneer with the carbureted AMC V8 instead of its own (and, arguably, more modern) fuel-injected V8s. Year-to-year changes were minimal. At the time of Chrysler's purchase, customer demand for the Grand Wagoneers continued to be steady, and it was a very profitable model generating approximately five to six thousand dollars on each unit.
The 1987-1991 model years "are considered the best of the breed" due to a number of upgrades. These include upgraded wood siding and modernized aluminum wheels that lost their gold colored inlays in favor of gunmetal grey metallic. All exterior colors were now applied in a two stage base/clearcoat system.
Finally, a number of further improvements were made for the 1989-1991 model year series including a quality replacement for the earlier, leak-prone air conditioning compressor, the addition of the visually identifiable rear wiper assembly, as well as a general improvement in fit and finish. An interior overhead console, taken from Chrysler's popular
minivansThe Chrysler S platform and its successors are automobile platforms upon which the minivans manufactured by Chrysler Group LLC are built. The minivan platform has evolved through five generations, from the original S platform forming the basis of the Dodge Caravan, Plymouth Voyager and Chrysler...
, was also added. This functional console featured much brighter map lights, an outside temperature sensor and compass, and an infrared remote-controlled key-less entry system.
The last model years also featured new paint colors. These "new" colors included the rare Hunter Green metallic that was only available in the 1991 model year and is the paint color of the 91 Grand Wagoneer in the Chrysler museum, as well as the color of the very last Grand Wagoneer ever made, which was a significant part of the historic collection at the National Automobile museum.
End of the line
The Grand Wagoneer enjoyed one of the longest production runs of any Jeep vehicle. The powerful V8 engine and high towing capacity made the Grand Wagoneer popular among its many repeat buyers, and as of 1991, it was the longest domestically produced vehicle (29 years) on the same
platformAn automobile platform is a shared set of common design, engineering, and production efforts, as well as major components over a number of outwardly distinct models and even types of automobiles, often from different, but related marques...
.
A total of 1,560 SJ Grand Wagoneers were produced in the 1991 model year. Owners had the option of having a "Final Edition Jeep Grand Wagoneer" badge on the dashboard.
The very last Grand Wagoneer ever produced rolled off of Chrysler's Toledo assembly line on June 21, 1991, as documented in official correspondence between the general manager of Chrysler's Jeep division with the National Automobile Museum, where this very special Jeep was displayed until 2004 before being purchased by a private collector. This Hunter Green metallic with Dark Sand tan leather Jeep's status as the official "last Grand Wagoneer" can also be verified by the fact that it bears the last (highest) Vehicle Identification Number (serial number) in the series. It was used for several Jeep and Chrysler promotional events in the second half of 1991 culminating in an honorary parade in Reno, Nevada, on November 14 of that year, that commemorated the Chrysler corporation's transfer to the museum collection. Larry Baker, general manager of the Jeep/Eagle Division of Chrysler Corporation observed "Jeep celebrates its 50th anniversary in 1991 and the Grand Wagoneer has been the flagship of the Jeep brand for much of that history".
The 1987-1991 models years "are considered the best of the breed and still have a loyal following among a select group".
ZJ Grand Wagoneer
For 1993 Chrysler prepared the
Jeep Grand CherokeeThe Jeep Grand Cherokee is a Mid-size SUV produced by the Jeep division of Chrysler. While some other SUVs were manufactured with body on frame construction, the Jeep Grand Cherokee has always used a unibody chassis.- Development :...
(originally designed by AMC) to replace both the discontinued flagship model and the smaller Cherokee. The completely new design had been delayed following Chrysler's purchase of AMC so Chrysler could redesign its hot-selling minivans for 1991.
However, the Cherokee and Grand Wagoneer were still popular. Chrysler decided that the compact Cherokee could be kept viable with minor updates, whereas the cost of updating the full-sized Grand Wagoneer would be too great.
Replacing the traditional Grand Wagoneer with a modern vehicle that was intended to retain the model's loyal buyers, Chrysler introduced the compact Grand Wagoneer ZJ in 1993. It was based on the new Grand Cherokee.
Powered by Chrysler's 220 hp 318 CID "Magnum"
V8 engineA V8 engine is a V engine with eight cylinders mounted on the crankcase in two banks of four cylinders, in most cases set at a right angle to each other but sometimes at a narrower angle, with all eight pistons driving a common crankshaft....
, the ZJ had model-specific woodgrain trim, model-specific, extra-padded leather seating and extra sound-deadening all standard. Jeep's 4WD "Quadra-trac" system was also standard. But it was smaller, offered less interior space, and lacked the familiar road presence of the original. Despite excellent reviews from many publications, sales did not warrant a return of the Grand Wagoneer for the 1994 model year, and thus the ZJ Grand Wagoneer was a one-year only offering.
Competition
The Wagoneer was occasionally used in
rallyingRallying, also known as rally racing, is a form of auto racing that takes place on public or private roads with modified production or specially built road-legal cars...
, mainly in the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Wagoneers placed first and second in the first-ever running of the Sno*Drift rally in 1973.
Sno*Drift Results 1973-1978
The Jeep Cherokee XJ 84-01 models have their own mild modification desert racing class "Jeepspeed 1". The "Jeepspeed 2" desert racing class includes the ZJ and WJ Grand Cherokees.
A Grand Wagoneer also competed in the 9,000-mile 1988 Trans-Amazon Rally.
Around the world
In Finland, starting in the late-1970s, Wagoneers were usually sold with a Valmet 411 Diesel engine (4.4 Litres Max. power 82 hp DIN at 2200 rpm, torque 306 N·m (225.7 ft·lbf) DIN at 1460 rpm). Typical mileage with this engine was around 29 miles per US gallon, and if a turbo was installed by the owner, mileage improved even more to 8 L/100 km.
Revival
Chrysler CEO
Sergio MarchionneSergio Marchionne is an international manager best known for his turnaround of the Italian automotive group Fiat and, more recently, for managing the US automotive group Chrysler from bankruptcy to profitability...
announced at the January 2011
North American International Auto ShowThe North American International Auto Show is an annual auto show held in Detroit, Michigan at Cobo Center, usually in January. It is among the largest auto shows in North America.-History:...
held in Detroit, that the Grand Wagoneer name will be revived for an "upper-scale" 7-seat SUV to be introduced January 2013.
External links